The London Marathon took a firm stance against plastic waste yesterday, replacing 200,000 water bottles with innovative water “pods” made from edible, biodegradable seaweed.

The water pouches are made by Skipping Rocks Lab, a London startup that’s developing alternatives to consumer products typically delivered in plastic.

“The changes and the trials we’re introducing for this year have the potential to change how mass participation events are delivered in future,” Hugh Brasher, the marathon director, told CNN.

Tens of thousands of runners were offered water in the Ooho! pods during the race. They can be bitten to release the water inside the seaweed membrane. The outer cover can also be ingested. But if not eaten, they biodegrade in a matter of mere weeks as compared with plastic bottles that take hundreds of years to decompose.

9. Now, Kurt, you know in your heart that's just not true! I'm sorry to be the one to mete out

your punishment, but justice must prevail. So here goes:you must go to Love Meow on the internet and fully read a week's worth of endearing, heartwrenching accounts of hapless felines who, with luck and internal fortitude, have been saved from lives as slaves in salt mines or an equally disastrous fate. The justice panel feels this punishment suits the crime. We trust there will be no further aspersions cast as to the complete and utter adorability of felines or canines, solo or with water pods. Sorry it had to come to this!

10. IKR !?!?! Yeah, science !!!

8. Even if these pods end up on the sidewalk or street

... they would biodegrade and not go to the landfill. If animals ingest them, no harm done. That's the beauty of these! They don't seem very practical though, I wouldn't carry one in my pocket, I don't think.